Author Bio & Stories

The Sixers are enjoying a breakout season, with a young nucleus finally starting to come together and click. But the team isn't just winning. They're also making a statement, however subtly, about their city—and the way we view professional athletes.

Rajon Rondo is identified by where he is, and isn't. He's the future of the Celtics, and he can't shoot jumpers. These are two of the most important markers of place in the NBA. Yet Rondo, remote by nature, isn't known for being where he should.

Typically, we accept that even the most accomplished athletes can only do so much. LeBron James has a different kind of problem: he is always competing against himself, or what we know he can do. There's an imperative there for LeBron James for rule the sport. Acquire the bomb and you best come correct, as they say.

West is one of only a handful of professional athletes of note to acknowledge a diagnosis. Gonzo gun play and locker room quarantine are signs of a man in need of psychiatric care; it's a testament to West's value as a ballplayer, an open secret in NBA circles, that he's still around. His personal challenges are a largely private matter, but West will always come across as different. Even when West is medicated and functional, he raises eyebrows.